Musculoskeletal Trauma Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards generated from the Musculoskeletal Trauma lecture notes covering key anatomy, neurovascular assessments, soft tissue injuries, fractures, and related complications.

Osteoblasts

Cells that build the bone up, regulated equally with osteoclasts until the age of 40.

Osteoclasts

Cells that break down bone.

Contusion

Soft tissue injury produced by blunt force that results in bleeding to the soft tissue.

Sprains

Injury to the ligaments caused by a twisting or a wrenching motion.

Strains

Injury most often found in the muscle-tendon junction.

Dislocations

Congenital or traumatic orthopedic emergencies that can take weeks to months to heal because ligaments and tendons are avascular.

The 6 P's

The six cardinal assessment parameters for neurovascular status: Pain, Poikilothermia, Pallor, Paresthesia, Pulselessness, and Paralysis.

Poikilothermia

A cold limb, assessed as one of the 6 P's of neurovascular integrity.

Paresthesia

Numbness, "pins & needles", burning, itching, and/or tingling felt in the limb.

PRICE

Therapeutic modality acronym standing for Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation; often used for soft tissue injuries like strains and sprains.

Closed Reduction

Non-surgical intervention used to realign a simple displaced fracture or dislocation.

External Fixation

Treatment device where screws are placed directly in the bone to maintain alignment when the risk of damaging soft tissue further is high.

Open Reduction Internal Fixation (ORIF)

Surgical procedure where a fracture is externally reduced and an internal fixation device is placed by cutting through soft tissue.

Skin Traction

Temporary traction modality applied before surgery using an adhesive boot or applied directly to the skin with weights under $7\,\text{lbs}$.

Skeletal Traction

Prolonged traction utilized as primary treatment through metal pins or wires inserted directly into the bone.

Delayed Union

Prolonged fracture healing lasting $3-12\,\text{months}$, which can be caused by blood loss, hematoma, or other comorbidities.

Malunion

Complication where a bone heals incorrectly, which can be caused by infection or misalignment during immobilization.

Non-Union

Failure of a fracture to unite in normal alignment, caused by limited blood supply to the fracture site or other comorbidities.

Acute Compartment Syndrome (ACS)

Limb-threatening condition caused by increased swelling that can develop within $24-48\,\text{hrs}$ and lead to ischemic necrosis if not treated promptly.

Rhabdomyolysis

Breakdown of skeletal muscle caused by crush compartment syndrome that can lead to Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) and Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome (MODS).

Fasciotomy

Surgical procedure where the skin and affected fascia are opened to relieve pressure in acute compartment syndrome when intercompartmental pressures are $> 30\,\text{mm Hg}$ or perfusion pressure is $< 30\,\text{mm Hg}$.

Fat Embolism Syndrome

Complication occurring $24-72\,\text{hrs}$ after injury where fat emboli enter blood vessels from the bone, characterized by fever, mental status changes, petechial rash, and respiratory distress.